The Legendary Hero
by Janiqua
Summary: Caught up in the grips of a terrifying thunderstorm, Marlene looks to Cloud for comfort. Thinking only of Aeris and his own inadequacy, the mercenary weaves together a tale of Alfred, the Legendary Hero, Princess Rosa, and Valvados, the Evil Dragon King.
1. The Thunderstorm

**Author's Note: **So this idea's been caught up in my head for awhile now, and I've taken time, time that I really shouldn't have, to put it down on paper… Seriously. I spent a _lot _of time that I should have used studying for school to write this story. So I _really _hope people find it in their hearts to review. Anyway, my story takes place in Kalm shortly after the end of FFVII. Marlene's still living with Elmyra Gainsborough, and she's still only four years old. Bear that in mind while you're reading this. The beginning especially seems to be told from her P.O.V. Right. Well, now that _that _is settled, I hope you all read this, and if you enjoy it or find that you need to comment on it, I'm definitely looking forward to your reviews!

**Disclaimer: **One day I _might_ own, I don't know, say… FFXX? That would be so cool! But as it is, right now, I don't own anything, and I _definitely _don't own FFVII.

**Warning: **This story does have spoilers in it for FFVII, but not for Advent Children, 'cause Advent Children hasn't taken place yet!

**Dedication: **I dedicate this little piece to Alfred, the Legendary Hero, and his Princess Rosa, two of my favorite characters from FFVII. They don't get half the attention they deserve!

**Final Fantasy VII**

**The Legendary Hero**

**ooooooo**

The sky was ripping apart! It _had _to be ripping apart! She could literally _hear_ the heavens plummeting towards the planet in billions of tiny little pieces as those frightening fire rays cut through them with more violence than those terrible crooks at ShinRa had _ever _displayed in front of her! It was crying… _screaming _in pain and no one was doing anything about it!

_Where's papa…?_

Marlene cowered in the tight little corner behind Miss Elmyra's new armchair. It had only been a short few weeks since the bad man, Reeve, had provided them with a brand new house in a brand new town that was _so _much prettier than Midgar. Marlene should have _known _then and there that something about his so-called 'generosity' wasn't right. Papa had always warned her not to trust the ShinRa! And now…

Now the sky was being torn into shreds! It was worse than when Meteor had been falling down on top of them! The lights were flickering… The walls were shaking… and every now and then, there would be a _terrific _crash that reminded Marlene of that day… in Midgar… when the sky really _had _fallen down on top of everyone. It would have fallen down on top of _her_, too, if the Flower Lady hadn't saved her…

The Flower Lady… Marlene's big sister… It sometimes felt like… she hadn't ever left. Maybe _that _was why this moment was so much more terrifying than the night had been when Meteor fell. Marlene had felt the Flower Lady then… as if she had been in the same room with her! But right now… the little girl felt painfully alone… Where was everyone?

The dragon roared outside again, and Marlene let out a tiny shriek as she buried her face in her arms – which were wrapped tightly around her bent knees. She was shaking. She was so scared.

But at that moment, the door leading out into the hall was gently pushed open by Miss Elmyra. Marlene could tell that it was her, because she was wearing the unmistakable fragrance that her daughter had made specifically for her several years ago – before Marlene was even _born_ – out of the flowers she had always been able to keep so beautifully and perfectly. "Marlene? Are you in here?"

"Miss Elmyra…" the little girl whimpered, slowly crawling her way out of the refuge she had made for herself between said chair and corner. "Is the world gonna end?"

Elmyra smiled sadly and shook her head. For her, the world had already ended… as it seemed to have for so many… ever since her daughter's… "No, sweetie. It's just a thunderstorm. There's nothing unusual about it." She walked towards the child and stretched out her arm. "Come take my hand, sweetie. Let's go downstairs."

Marlene hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she couldn't really see any good alternative. Miss Elmyra might not understand the danger they were in, but another thing her papa had always taught her was that it was better facing monsters when you weren't by yourself. Besides, Miss Elmyra had protected her with a savage kind of ferocity that, even though it _had _ultimately been for nothing, had definitely left a lasting mark on Reeve and those other bad men when they kidnapped her. She wouldn't let anything hurt Marlene!

"I brewed some tea," the motherly woman presently told the girl as she led her down the stairs towards the kitchen. "It will soothe your nerves until the storm passes." Marlene adamantly disbelieved her, and clenched tightly onto Elmyra's arm. The dragon outside was roaring… it was breathing its bolts of fire… And the sky continued to shriek in pain. It was being tortured!

A door on the other side of the house slammed shut. Marlene shrieked and even _Elmyra_ jumped in surprise. A moment later, the older woman had managed to pick the child up in her arms like the baby that she really still was, and was hastily making her way past the kitchen and towards the front hall. It was dark… Especially outside. And there were shadows stretching everywhere. Marlene felt like she was trapped inside a nightmare as Elmyra carried her through the house.

"Who's there?" the woman called out in a loud, authoritative voice that would tolerate absolutely no misbehavior. Marlene couldn't help but observe that someone was about to get in a lot of trouble.

The door that they had both heard slamming shut was now latched firmly in place. The carpet was covered in wet mud. Moving slowly, tense and cautious, Elmyra set Marlene back down on the floor and pushed in front of her. She was reaching towards the tall, thin coat rack… when a tall and broad, _powerful _looking figure appeared from out of the closet to their right – where he had no doubt stored a soggy coat along with his weaponry.

"Don't be afraid," he presently said in the steady, low, surprisingly gentle voice that Marlene had recently become well acquainted with. Holding his hands up for them to see, he stepped out from the shadows and into the light.

"Cloud!" Marlene squeaked in excitement even as Elmyra breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Cloud. The little girl literally bolted around her guardian and sprang towards the front door. Knowing that she was still relatively unfamiliar with the function of a lock, Cloud didn't even _bother_ trying to stop her as she reached for the door handle and struggled fruitlessly to pull it open. "Papa! Tifa!" She was practically singing now in anticipation. "You have to come inside before the sky falls!"

Elmyra glanced from the girl to Cloud, who instantly stared down at his feet and shook his head. It was quite obvious that he had come alone. The woman sighed again, but not out of relief. It was a sigh of pity. "Marlene…"

The little girl glanced over her shoulder at the man and woman, her chestnut eyes alive with hope and mirth. It seemed a miracle to Elmyra… that after everything Marlene had been through, she could still find it in her to smile. "Marlene, I don't think either your papa or Tifa came with Cloud tonight." It was better to be upfront right away. The more time Marlene's hopes had to rise, the harder they would be trampled on.

It took a moment for the girl to understand… and then she turned towards Cloud with such terror in her eyes that even _he _felt his heart skip a beat in alarm. Was she okay?

The last time Cloud had stepped foot inside this house without a loved one, it was because she had been… taken away. And now Marlene feared the worst. "Where are they? Where are they?" She was screaming, and had turned towards the door again to try prying it open with more determination than ever before.

"Marlene!" Elmyra rushed towards the girl and pulled her away quickly. Not even _she _had anticipated a reaction like this! Forcing the girl back, Elmyra knelt down onto the floor in front of her and gripped her shoulders tightly. Marlene wasn't screaming anymore, but there were large tears in her eyes and _they _were threatening to fall at any moment. "What's the matter?"

"He told us she'd returned to the planet," Marlene whimpered, her tiny body shaking profusely. "That's why he came last time, remember?" Elmyra's expression twisted into such anguish that Cloud half expected to have _two _sobbing women instead of just one on his hands. He shifted uncomfortably on his feet and looked away.

"They're fine," he said softly, but not so softly that Marlene couldn't hear him. She turned towards him hopefully, and though he wasn't looking, he could still sense her eyes boring into his soul. "Barret and Tifa are both all right. They're still in Midgar… gathering up orphans, mostly…" While Reeve led Cid, Yuffie, Red Thirteen, and even _Vincent_, as well as countless other souls,in the first few stages of the terrorized city's restoration, Barret and Tifa had been… preoccupied with the children. Too many of them had lost their parents on the day that Meteor struck. And neither one of Avalanche's two great leaders could help but picture Marlene… their beloved Marlene… wandering the ruined city's dangerous streets without shelter… without family… to keep her safe…

She was lucky. She could have so _easily _been in any one of those children's places… And so Barret and Tifa felt like they owed them… something. Which was why they were all the way in Midgar… while their 'daughter' was in Kalm.

"Why are you here, Cloud?" Elmyra asked, not unkindly, as she pulled Marlene into a warm, protectively tight embrace. The girl buried her head into her keeper's chest, while the woman herself looked up at the mercenary. He couldn't meet her gaze. He almost seemed to be as much of a lost, vulnerable little child as Marlene was!

"I couldn't stay away," he said quietly after a moment, _finally _bringing himself to look at her. His eyes – his glowing eyes – seemed so devoid of life. Elmyra worried he would never smile again. "I know I owe you…"

_He blames himself… _Elmyra sighed and, still holding Marlene, stood up to face him. _He blames himself so much that not even _I _can blame him. His guilt is enough for both of us. _"You told me that if Aeris had not died, the rest of us all would have. You told me that she saved the world." Cloud averted his eyes. Even little Marlene could tell sense that his wounds were worse than the sky's.

The dragon roared! So loudly that the house shook again and Marlene believed without a shadow of doubt that the monster was right outside the window! She screamed. "Make it go away!"

Cloud started as Elmyra began rocking the girl. She hastened out of the front hall and back towards the kitchen, speaking to the mercenary over her shoulder. "It's the storm. Back in Midgar, the different plates were always able to block out the sound of thunder. Marlene's never heard it before tonight."

Cloud followed them into the kitchen. He thought about telling Marlene not to be afraid… but didn't. He had first met the girl in Midgar… at Tifa's Seventh Heaven. She had always been so shy around him… He still wasn't quite used to her, and the feeling was obviously mutual. When he and the others had arrived in Kalm to… to tell Elmyra about Aeris… after Meteor had been stopped and Sephiroth defeated, _he_ had barely even looked at the girl – she had been too caught up with her father and Tifa. In all honesty… _this _was the first time he had ever been so close to her… It made him feel slightly dizzy.

This little girl… Aeris had loved her so much… Just like Barret and Tifa did… Cloud sometimes wished… he knew what that felt like.

Elmyra set the child down on a chair and turned towards the stove where she had been brewing tea. There was another rumble of thunder outside, and Cloud took that as his cue to exit the kitchen. Marlene was crying, and though the mercenary definitely wanted to do something useful, he knew that consoling her would be completely impossible. Instead, he walked into the parlor and set about starting a fire in the hearth. With the aid of his Materia, it only took him half a second.

Unfortunately, that half-second was long enough to attract Marlene's attention all the way from the kitchen. _Crap. She's as bad as Yuffie…_ Glancing up, Cloud noticed her hovering in the parlor doorframe like a frightened kitten. Her eyes were wide and bright with fear and awe.

Before either one of them could say a word, however, the entire house shook so fiercely that its previous tremors couldn't _possibly _have been anything more than mere vibrations! The thunder itself was positively _demonic_, and without any other warning whatsoever, it stole from the town all its power.

Not that Cloud was particularly sorry to see it go. Mako energy might have been on the way out, but even now enough of it was still in use to piss him off – not to even _mention _Barret Wallace. But the moment those lights flashed off, bathing the house in absolute darkness Cloud's fire couldn't even penetrate, Marlene started screaming so loudly that the mercenary cringed.

"Marlene…" he called out to her, but she wasn't paying attention. Stumbling backwards, she attempted to turn around, lost her balance, and landed on the floor. Before Cloud knew what he was doing, before he had time to stop and think about what he was doing, he was at her side, picking her up into his strong, powerful arms. "Marlene, don't cry! I've got you, and you're safe."

Amazingly enough, the girl grew silent. She looked up at him in wonder, obviously quite astonished by his unexpected display of tenderness. But then again, who wouldn't be? _This _wasn't the Cloud that she knew! The Cloud that _she _knew hardly ever even looked at her! How weird…

Standing up while feeling very, _very _conscious of her tiny little body – she was so small, so delicate and fragile… rather easily broken – Cloud found himself carrying her towards the hearth. The crackling flames were warm and bright… comforting and peaceful. Cloud sat down beside them, feeling at a loss. What was he supposed to do now? Marlene had suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, as he had seen her do with Barret and Tifa when being held by either one of them, and rested her head against his shoulder. He tensed, somehow sensing that she wasn't about to let go.

"Marlene?" Elmyra was carefully making her way into the parlor, carrying with her a candle she had somehow managed to light. Upon spotting her charge in the mercenary's arms, however, she stopped short, freezing in astonishment.

"Do something," Cloud hissed at her, feeling a strange sense of desperation clawing through his stomach. It didn't seem to matter how tense _he _was. He could feel Marlene growing more and more relaxed by the second. He didn't think she'd fall asleep with the thunder outside, but god forbid she grow comfortable like this!

Elmyra smiled, as if having read his mind. "Let me find some more candles to light. I'm sorry, Cloud, but you're just going to have to sit tight until she wants down."

Until she wants down? Cloud opened his mouth to object, but Elmyra had already turned around and was gone. He should know by now that there wasn't ever any arguing with women. _Especially _with women in the Gainsborough family. He glanced down at the child on his lap in his arms. How long could she _possibly_ want to stay there?

Outside, the thunder continued to rumble, but _finally _at a greater distance from the house. Nevertheless, Marlene trembled in fear and clenched her eyes tightly shut. She felt so terribly cold… "Please Cloud… Make it stop…"

"How?" Cloud asked, without once even realizing that grown-ups weren't _supposed_ to ask little four-year olds how to make thunder go away. Grown-ups were _supposed _to be the ones with all the answers. Marlene presently shuddered, and it was all Cloud could do not to shudder himself. "Come on, kid. What do you want from me? A bedtime story?"

Marlene moved her head off his shoulder and looked up at him with wide, hopeful eyes that not even the darkness could obscure. "Please?"

That was obviously _not _the response Cloud had been looking for. Staring down at her in horror, he opened his mouth to object, but once again found himself quite unable to. What was the matter with him? "Marlene, I…"

"Please?" she asked again, her voice nearly breaking. She pressed her head against his shoulder, curling up as if in her bed, working to get comfortable. "The sky is crying, Cloud. Why doesn't anyone care?"

"Once upon a time," Cloud quickly changed the subject. He'd _much _rather tell a story than try coming up with an answer to _that _particular, heartbreaking question. The only problem was… he didn't _know _any stories! Or did he…?

Marlene relaxed in his arms again, and he turned towards the hearth, gazing almost reverently into its golden flames. If _she _were here… what story would she tell Marlene? It couldn't be frightening… No. It couldn't be frightening. He remembered Dyne's words extremely well. Dyne… Marlene's father… It might not have been his place to hear… But that was still her father's wish, and Cloud would stand by it. Don't make Marlene cry… So where did that leave him?

"Long, long ago… an evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia…"

**ooooooo**

**A/N:** And no, that's _not _the end! Please review, and I'll update as soon as I have time! Thanks so much!


	2. The Legend

**ooooooo**

Galdia truly was a peaceful kingdom. Nestled as it was between two rivers that flowed towards the great and mighty ocean, it was a paradise of fields and forests, meadows and mountains, earth and sky.

_"Are there ShinRa?" Marlene asked._

_"No," Cloud said after a short pause. "There's no such thing as the ShinRa. Or Mako energy. Or meteors."_

The kingdom's greatest city was built like a labyrinth, but no one was ever lost. Everyone belonged to a loving family, and every family lived in castles blanketed by ivy into which flowers were woven. It was place of color. Beautiful, bright, fresh, and fragrant colors. But… mostly pink and green.

The city bells rang like laughter, which were echoed in the streets by children who were all well fed and dressed like royalty. No one ever felt like they didn't belong. It was truly, in every imaginable way, paradise.

But Marlene… some things in this world don't like paradise… And when the evil dragon king, Valvados, awoke from a particularly long slumber, a great hunger awoke simultaneously within him. He was craving… destruction. And when his mighty wings stretched over the land, blanketing Galdia in their menacing shadows, he recognized paradise for what it was, and readied himself for a rampage.

Now, the King of Galdia, who was himself called Galdia, had a daughter. She was a beautiful woman, old enough to be Queen, but yet a Princess, named Rosa. Her eyes were the country's most enchanting emeralds. Her chestnut hair was long and lustrous, which she wore loosely over her shoulders despite the yellow flowers braided in. Her dress was beautiful, long, flowing, and silver. It glittered whenever she walked. And when Valvados first saw her from the sky, he mistook her for Galdia's greatest treasure – which, in a way, she most definitely was.

You see, dragons hoard treasure. But the thing is… treasure isn't always just silver and gold. Sometimes, the greatest treasure… is in the heart and soul. Valvados despised everything that was good and pure in Galdia. But… he was obsessed with Galdia's treasures. And when he saw Princess Rosa from the sky, she was the treasure that he wanted to possess.

For many days and nights, the evil dragon soared through the skies above Galdia. To his immense glee, not a soul in the entire kingdom realized he was there! He knew it was because generations of peace and prosperity had put their minds at ease. They were not prepared for a dragon's rampage. They were blind to their fate, and so Valvados bid his time, stalking the Princess, while growing more and more obsessed with her.

But Princess Rosa had already given her heart to another; she was _painfully_ in love. For there was a great, mighty, and _legendary_ warrior known throughout the land. His name was Alfred, and he had spent a lifetime protecting those who could not protect themselves in Galdia's neighboring kingdoms. He himself had never personally met Rosa, but his closest friend and companion, the great wizard Vorman, would often magically whisk himself away to the castle, where he entertained the King with stories of heroic adventure. Through Vorman, Rosa and Alfred were able to correspond; their letters were of a love so passionate, so strong and faithful, that they alone could have lit the stars at night. They alone could have coaxed the flowers into bloom. They alone could have brought time itself to a wonderful and eternal pause. The words written between them in their fragranced letters were beautiful and true. They were the only bits of treasure in the entire world that Valvados himself would never be able to perceive.

One day, the evil dragon was watching the Princess with his hawk like eyes from above the clouds as she paced around her room most anxiously. It surprised him, for he had never seen her quite so restless. But as his curiosity reached its apex, Vorman magically appeared outside her door. And the moment that he knocked, she ran to answer.

"My Lady," he said, bowing at the waist even as he handed her the letter that Alfred had written, promising her that he would come to Galdia. She had waited for him long enough, and the time for their engagement had, at long last, arrived. He would follow it there, he would ask the King for permission, and then… the two of them would wed.

Rosa's heart was so filled with joy that she could no longer bear to remain inside the castle walls. Running outside, she made her way to the royal stables, saddled her white mare, and cantered out into the fields of flowers that decorated the wild. As her mare raced, as her hair flowed out behind her like rippling water, she lifted her head up towards the sun and began to sing. Valvados had _never_ seen her look so lovely, and his need to take her, to add her to his collection, to _hoard _her, overwhelmed him. He dove from the sky, letting out a mighty roar that caused the sky and the earth both to tremble.

Rosa's song died in her throat as the dragon made his descent. Her mare reared up in terror, sending the Princess heavily to the ground, before bolting away. And while _she _may have escaped the dragon's wrath, Rosa's fall left her painfully dazed. She was barely even able to push up onto her knees, much less try and run. The dragon landed gently on the ground, surrounding her with his long, supple body. And when she screamed, the dragon laughed, taking genuine delight in her helplessness.

"Now Galdia's treasure belongs to me," he exclaimed, reaching for her with his mighty forepaw. Taking extra care not to crush her with his incredible strength, nor to scratch her with his painfully sharp talons, he picked her up and took to flight. Once they were both in the sky, he did not rest until they reached his obsidian lair at the peak of a most treacherous mountain far to the north of Galdia. And Rosa's tears did not faze him. Rather, they augmented his joy, for the tears and anguish of the pure were like ambrosia to him.

Landing gracefully, Valvados carried the Princess into his treasure room, which was filled with gold and silver and pottery and jewels and… to Rosa's terror… the bones of other creatures – both human and animal alike – that Valvados had found worthy to store… as he was storing her now. Taking her to the center of his treasure chamber, he used three silver chains to hang a silver platter – that was two yards in diameter – from the ceiling. Suspended there, the platter was exactly fifty feet from the ground, and when Valvados placed Rosa on it, she had nowhere to run, nothing to hide behind, and no means of salvation whatsoever. He spent the rest of the night simply staring at her, taking more and more pleasure in her tears, while ignoring the rest of the world.

Eventually, however, morning came, and Valvados remembered that Galdia was still as much of a paradise as it had always been. Rousing himself, he practically purred in anticipation. "Now there is _nothing_ left in Galdia that I wish not to destroy. Don't go anywhere, my dear. Soon, your home will be nothing more than a pile of ash, and then I will return."

Fearing more for her home than for herself, Rosa walked to the edge of the platter, her heart racing every time the plate shifted beneath her feet. "The moment that you turn your head away from me is the moment that I jump to my death." The dragon considered her threat, tilting his head. But then he laughed, and it was the most terrible sound Rosa had ever heard.

"All mortals lose their lives, my dear. Time is not the same for dragons. As long as you die in _this_ chamber, I care not if it is now or in sixty years. Though if you _do _wish to end your life, I entreat that you do it now so that I may watch and not when my head is turned."

Rosa regarded him in terror, but her defiance proved to be stronger. Taking but a moment to whisper a short prayer, she stepped off the platter… only to find herself stumbling back onto it again from the other side! Rosa gasped, painfully disoriented, and lost her balance. Falling onto her hands and knees, it was all she could do calm her racing heart.

And Valvados was laughing. "Your gullibility greatly amuses me, my dear. Now I shall _have_ to destroy Galdia with the utmost haste, so that I may return and carry on toying with you. Did you honestly think I would risk your safety by displaying you so far off the ground without some means of protection? I've kept humans before, and while my magic is strong, I understand how fragile you are, my dear."

"You'll need more than magic to keep me alive!" Rosa told him spitefully. "Your enchantment won't allow me to fall… but what magic can keep me from starving myself?"

"Magic isn't necessary for that," Valvados promised her gleefully. "You will eat and drink… even if I must force the food down your mouth. I've become quite proficient at caring for my treasure, my Princess. You will be a part of it for a long, long time." And with that, he turned away from her, abandoning her there in his treasure chamber, before once again spreading his wings, and soaring towards Galdia.

By this time, word had spread throughout the King's castle that his daughter was missing. Fearing the worst, the King Galdia summoned Vorman to his presence, and begged the wizard to scry for her. Vorman did as he was so commanded, and in his basin, and with his crystal, he was able to conjure up an image of the Princess. And when he saw where she was, he realized immediately that the great and terrible dragon king of ancient lore had risen again. Without a word to the King, Vorman magically whisked himself away from the castle and back to his friend and companion, the legendary warrior, Alfred. Without a second to waste, Vorman told Alfred all he knew of Valvados, and how Valvados had taken Rosa prisoner.

"He must be slain," Alfred observed, and together, he and the wizard traveled as quickly as they possibly could towards the capital city of Galdia. But by the time they arrived, the dragon Valvados was already wrecking great havoc throughout the kingdom. There was panic everywhere, as men, women, and children ran to find shelter and protection that simply did not exist. Valvados stretched his long, supple neck out over the city's great expanse and breathed fire that was so unbearably hot not even floods of water could even hope to douse its flaming tongues. Ash fell like a blanket, and smoke rose into the sky, covering the sun so that daylight could not break through.

When Alfred saw all this, his heart clenched tightly in his chest. Despite all the adventures and voyages and battles and campaigns that he had ever taken part in, he had _never _seen anything quite like this in his entire life! And it caused him to hesitate. Until that moment, he had never known fear.

But then… his thoughts turned to the Princess Rosa. Where was she? If Valvados was here in Galdia, where was his beloved? She was alone. She was helpless. She might even be…

As Alfred's fears for the safety of his Princess mounted, so too did the obstinate determination that had seen him through numerous escapades in the past. What was a dragon to him? Rosa was his beloved, and he would rescue her at _all_ costs. And so, the legendary warrior took up his mighty javelin, turned towards the dragon, and threw it.

His aim was true, and before Valvados even knew what was happening, the warrior's javelin pierced his fire-breathing lungs. Alfred knew that no mortal weapon could easily slay a dragon, and rather than trying to slice open the monster's heart, he first sought to incapacitate his enemy's greatest weapon. Besides, if he was lucky, Valvados would lead him to Rosa…

And it was so. The pain Valvados felt was reminiscent to freezing alive. His blood turned to ice, and he could barely _breathe_, much less breathe fire. Letting out a might roar, the dragon turned away from Galdia and soared rapidly towards the north… where Vorman knew his lair to be.

Alfred did not wait for the King's counsel. Instead, he took his valiant stallion and flew after the dragon. Vorman accompanied him, as the wizard always did, and together they crossed several leagues until they arrived at the foot of a great, but deadly, mountain. Without a word, the two began their hike.

It did not take long for Alfred to realize that scaling _this_ mountain would be among the worst of ordeals he had ever experienced in his life. The way was steep. The ground felt brittle. The rocks slid from beneath his stallion's feet, and the poor creature soon collapsed. Leaving Vorman to tend to the horse, Alfred carried on completely alone, and on foot, no less. The dead, decaying trees of the mountain seemed all to be possessed, and more than once they stretched out towards Alfred violently. But lifting his sword, the warrior was able to cut through them with relative ease.

Eventually, he came to a raging mountain river. Though he knew he had to cross it, the current was so powerful that he could not see how. And while he stood there, contemplating it, the waters suddenly rose up as if by flooding, and turned towards him. Alfred was unable to move out if its way quickly enough, and found himself being dragged, first downriver, and then beneath its surface.

The strength of the water was powerful enough to crush a man's bones, Marlene! But Alfred… While his body was literally tossed around and bent in several painfully different directions, he found himself thinking of Rosa. What was a river to him? He had to save her!

Tearing off his armor, throwing away his weapons and his shields, Alfred quickly lost all the weight that had carried him down. Now, he could feel his body rising towards the surface. Moments later, his head gracefully emerged and he could breathe again! Gathering up all his lasting strength, he swam against the current and pulled himself out of the river. With that behind him, he continued his climb.

Here the ground grew wet and swampy. Alfred had come to the edge of a bog. Water stretched out before him in every direction, and the only way across would be for him to walk over the thin mat of moss and lichen that floated directly on top of the water's surface. And Alfred knew he had no choice. Praying that the layer of plant life could support his weight, he stepped forward and began crossing the bog.

He was three-fourths of the way to the other side, however, when the mat broke apart beneath his feet and he was plunged into water that was colder than ice, but so acidic that his skin began to burn. The pain of it was unendurable, and when the warrior swam frantically towards the surface, he found that the mat of moss above him had tangled together once again, forming a barrier that would not permit him to pass. He fought to tear the plants apart, so that he might at least get his head above the water so he could breathe again, but without his weapons, he could do naught.

Realizing that his only hope would be to swim the rest of the way underwater, Alfred attempted to loosen the hold his hands had on the water's mossy blanket. But the moment that he tried letting go of the moss, the moss tightened its hold on him. The plants wove their way around his fingers, around his hands, and then around his wrists, like small nets that meant to entangle him until his death.

The acidic water felt like it was melting his skin. At the same time, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't break free. There was nothing he could do. But then… the legendary warrior thought of Rosa. What was a bog to him? He had to save her!

Gathering up all the strength he could muster, Alfred pulled his face up towards the mossy net and, upon opening his mouth, he savagely bit down on the watery plants. With his teeth, he tore apart the moss; he ripped and shredded his way to the surface, and managed to break through. Pulling himself up, he stumbled the rest of the way to the other side of the bog, and continued on his climb.

Now he knew that he was getting closer to the mountain's peak. The ground grew firm again beneath his feet, and the dying, rotting forest that had been surrounding him came at last to an end. Before him, there were thousands of great and rugged black boulders of every different shape and size – though they all seemed to be made of obsidian. And Alfred past by them, noting that many of them seemed to be blocking entrances that led deep into the ground.

With every step he took, Alfred became increasingly aware that the entrances to those burrows were not without their occupants. Creatures were moving through the shadows… slithering… hissing… lying in quite obvious wait. And Alfred found himself wishing he still had his weapons – and that he had not lost them in the river.

The dragon's lair was ahead of him. He could see it now… At the summit of the mountain, there was a large, jagged pinnacle that opened up to form the mouth of an enormous cavern. There were stalagmites and stalactites of obsidian, resembling layers and layers of fangs that threatened tear apart any who chose to enter. Alfred paused, focusing on them as he considered his options. Without any weapons, he knew he wouldn't stand a chance against Valvados – even if Valvados _was _greatly injured. He needed a plan…

But the time Alfred spent in his deliberations was time that he did _not _spend minding his surroundings. The creatures inhabiting the burrows all around him chose that moment to attack – for his guard had definitely been lowered.

Alfred saw them lunging – giant serpents that they were – and he barely had time to jump out of their way. Diving, rolling, leaping, he moved faster than any mortal ever had before, dodging them and outmaneuvering them with decisive grace. But in the end, it was not enough. One snake, a long, lithe serpent that was much, _much _smaller than the others, nevertheless managed to wrap its tail around the warrior's ankles. Pulling, the creature brought Alfred to the ground; sharp, jagged obsidian pebbles scratched his hands and face.

He gasped, but before he could reach towards the snake to try and pry it off, the others shot towards him. They were _all _more slender than he had first perceived; their size came solely from their incredible length. As it was, they had no trouble binding his wrists together, pinning his arms to his sides, wrapping around his legs, his face, his neck… They squeezed. Tightly. And the snake that began to squeeze his neck turned its head to stare at him with cold, calculating black eyes. Alfred opened his mouth in agony, but no sound came out. He was dying.

Rosa… He thought of her… But this time, he was so tightly bound that there was nothing he could do. He had to save her… But he didn't know how.

"Enough!"

The voice of Valvados was like the sound of all the devils in the world mixed together. The serpents were quick to heed it, and they released Alfred before slithering back into their burrows beneath the obsidian ground. Left alone and unrestrained, Alfred glanced up and saw the enormous dragon towering over him from the mouth of his cave. If the monster was still wounded from his last encounter with the legendary warrior, he made no sign of being so.

"I remember you!" Valvados nevertheless snarled at the man. "Your javelin pierced my lung! Because of you, I can no longer breathe fire! If you think I will allow the snakes to kill you gently, you are sorely mistaken!" And with that, the dragon lunged.

But this time, Alfred really was quicker. Unarmed, unprotected, without body armor to slow him down, he proved to be as fast as lightning! He dodged Valvados's fangs, danced away from Valvados's talons, leapt over Valvados's tail, and sprinted towards Valvados's cavern. Behind him, the dragon shrieked in frustration, and it was a terrible sound indeed. The entire sky seemed to quiver because of it, but Alfred remained perfectly composed. He ran as if the world were falling to pieces behind him, but he was not afraid.

Inside the cave, the legendary warrior noticed a trail of blood leading towards an enormous tunnel to his right. Somehow able to sense that that _was_ the direction in which Rosa was being held, he began to follow the path. And sure enough, it eventually led him into a _huge _vaulted chamber that was filled with a treasure so spectacular that it even generated its own light! The place was _wondrously_ illuminated, and everything seemed to sparkle and shimmer as no other riches in the world ever could. But none of that mattered to Alfred. Running farther and farther, deeper and deeper, into the room, growing more and more desperate all the while, he shouted out the only name that meant anything to him at all. "ROSA!"

And he was answered. From where she was displayed, so close to the ceiling on that malicious platter, she had a vantage point allowing her to see everything that went on in the chamber. And though she could not hear a word spoken from the ground, she could clearly see her beloved's desperate search for her. She had never met him face to face before… she had never seen him before… But in her heart, she knew that he was none other than the man she had been waiting for. And so she answered the cry she could not hear, but nevertheless perceived. "ALFRED!"

From the ground, he looked up. And from the ground, he caught sight of her. She was kneeling on a silver platter, gripping one of three long and mighty silver chains that suspended the platter from the ceiling, while peering down over the edge at him. There was a look of terror and despair on her face, but also of sudden hope. Her warrior was here at last!

In all honestly, however, the Princess was quite shocked by Alfred's appearance. He wore no armor… He bore no weapons… His clothes were torn and ragged… His face covered in sweat and blood… He was not what she had imagined.

No. He was not what she had imagined.

He was _so _much more!

The fact that he would come this far for her… and brave what dangers he had for her… and not turn back in defeat when he had _clearly _suffered hardships she could not even _begin _to imagine! He was more than she could have ever dreamed of. And in that moment, there was no other place in the entire world where she would have rather been than in his arms.

The dragon was shrieking and raging uncontrollably in the cave behind the warrior. He was drawing close… He was ready to kill… There was nowhere to run… No escape… And in any other place, on any other quest, against any other foe, this would have greatly alarmed the legendary warrior. But on this day, here, with his Princess so close… so close that he could almost breathe in her fragrant perfume… he was rejuvenated both in mind and body.

He began to run towards the ground beneath her, and she slowly stood up, gripping the chain so tightly that her knuckles grew taut and white. Alfred braced himself, summoning forth all the strength and speed and power left within his heart, and he jumped. All his life he had been able to jump farther and higher and longer than any of his rivals. He had practically been able to fly!

No. He _was _able to fly! He couldn't doubt himself, for he had _never_ attempted to jump _fifty_ feet before! If he doubted himself, he somehow _knew _he wouldn't reach the one he loved. He would fail her. He would lose her. And in the end, he knew that _he_ would be the one slain by the evil dragon king. He couldn't doubt himself. He couldn't fail.

But he did. Fifty feet was just too _far_! No one could jump _that_ high! He had been a fool, and now he was falling… falling… farther… and farther… away… from that silver platter…

And yet… He wasn't the only one plunging towards the ground.

You see, Marlene… Love – the kind of love that was sweeping through the hearts of Alfred and Rosa like a mighty whirlwind – cannot be proven by just one man in its darkest hour. In its darkest hour… it must be proven by two. Then, what was once _his_ darkest hour shall become _their _brightest moment.

When Alfred began to fall back towards the riches on the ground, Rosa was drawn to him so passionately that the enchantment Valvados had placed on the silver platter to keep her from leaping to her doom suddenly meant nothing. It meant nothing. It _was _nothing. She broke past it and, diving headfirst towards her beloved, she stretched out her hand…

Alfred's eyes widened as he saw her reaching down to him. At that moment, the dragon, Valvados, stormed into his treasure chamber, his fiery eyes alight with fury. He opened his large mouth, his fangs dripping with venom, and roared. The entire chamber shook. Pieces of the walls and ceiling began to collapse. But Alfred…

Alfred merely reached his own hand upwards… and a heartbeat later, it clasped tightly and warmly with hers. Immediately a golden light – the likes of which nothing in Valvados's entire treasure chamber could even _begin_ to compare to – began undulating around them… like velvety grass on a windy plain. It alone was blinding, but neither Alfred nor Rosa could close their eyes to it. It pulled them closer and closer together, until neither one of them were falling any longer. Suspended in the air, they embraced so tightly that their bodies blended together… and when they kissed… they merged completely… and became one. The golden light brightened, and Valvados shrieked again, but this time as if in pain. Now the cave itself was shaking… the entire mountain was shaking… And a fraction of a second later, it began to collapse. It was falling in on itself. There was no way out… and nowhere to go.

Alfred and Rosa pulled only far enough apart to gaze into each other's eyes. There was sorrow in each of them, for they knew they had arrived at their end… and they had only just found each other. The mountain was breaking apart… Valvados was screaming in terror… Now he was crying, for he knew his end had arrived, and not even his beloved treasure could offer him any kind of consolation. He was not like Alfred and Rosa. Mostly, because they had each other, and were holding each other, keeping each other strong and brave. No matter what happened… they were together now. And they would be together for all of eternity.

But there was something else. Another difference between them and the dragon that Valvados could never even _hope_ to imitate. And it was that… Alfred had friends. And at that moment, the great wizard Vorman magically whisked his way to their sides. Taking hold of them, before either one of them could say a word, Vorman teleported them outside the cave and safely away from the mountain. Valvados he left alone, to be buried alive and crushed to death underground with his forsaken treasure.

Outside, the world was more beautiful than Rosa had ever seen it. The sun had set. The moon had risen. And the heavens above were decorated with starlight. The Princess began to laugh, and then to sing and dance. She had never been happier in her entire life, and as Alfred watched her, he fell more and more in love with her. Quickly giving Vorman his thanks, our Legendary Hero went to the Princess, took her in his arms, and together they began a new dance. A dance so wonderful that it inspired the stars in the celestial spheres to shine and radiate brighter than they ever had since the dawn of time.

"The power of True Love," Vorman quietly observed. It was in that moment that he knew without a shadow of doubt that the land of Galdia would never know anything but peace and prosperity. There would be no death. There would be no disease. There would be no war, no corruption, nor no loss. It would be the lot of everyone – and not just Alfred, the Legendary Hero, and his Princess Rosa – to live happily ever after until the end of time.

**ooooooo**

**A/N: **Please review. I _need_ reviews! After all, I live off them! Anyway, tell me what you think, and I'll post the third and final chapter as quickly as I can. Thanks so much!


	3. The End

**ooooooo**

Marlene seemed to be sleeping. Lying on Cloud's lap, with her head pressed up against his chest, he might easily have mistaken her for a doll. But he daren't make such an assumption, for he feared disturbing her… waking her… causing her to cry again. He couldn't make her cry! He didn't know how he'd _bear_ to live with himself should she cry again. She was just a little girl… Too small to shed such tears. It wasn't _fair_ that life hadn't been kinder to her.

No… It wasn't fair that life hadn't been kinder to any of them. But especially to Elmyra.

The woman had long since completed her task of lighting candles around her house. Now she stood in the parlor's doorframe, completely draped in the shadows of the storm. The fire Cloud had started in the hearth earlier that night had become little more than a pile of embers, and though it was still raining outside, the thunder and lightning seemed to have moved on completely. And everything, if only for a single heartbeat, seemed warm and astonishingly pleasant. His tale at last complete, Cloud exhaled in tranquility, and closed his eyes in peace. "They lived happily ever after," he whispered again. After all… those words… they sounded so… so… perfect. So right. So blissful. And so, so, _so_ completely true.

Was it any wonder, then, that they were such a dreadful, painful lie?

Cloud glanced down, turning his head ever so slightly so that he would not gaze at Marlene, but at the golden embers left over in the hearth. He opened his eyes slowly – and painfully at that. Even in the dark, Elmyra could see their glow, and their unshed tears. His eyes… She knew enough about his eyes to know that they would glow like that for the rest of his life – a terrible, eternal reminder of his agonizing past. They were the scars left behind by the wounds inflicted deep within his soul that otherwise would have remained unseen. How he had managed to tell such a story to Marlene, with the happy ending that it had had, when his own story was so terribly tragic, Elmyra would never know.

"The storm is passing," the mercenary presently informed her, in a hushed voice that would hopefully not awaken the sleeping child.

Elmyra nodded. "It's been passing since it began." That was the nice thing about storms. Yes, they always came… but then… they always, _always _went away by morning. "Marlene will thank you for this."

"I don't deserve her thanks," Cloud replied, his voice dripping with despair. "I'm not the hero that Alfred was. I'm just a pathetic mockery that couldn't even…" _That couldn't even save his Princess…_

"Cloud," Elmyra whispered, her voice resonating with compassion and emotion. "You can't blame yourself for what happened to my daughter! When we were living in Midgar, she was the most restless creature in the city! She couldn't _bear_ to keep away from that church's garden, no matter what danger she was in by going there! In Midgar, her life was nothing but an unending struggle – not only for the freedom she so desired to be outside with her flowers – but also for the freedom that she would never, _ever_ possess had ShinRa found her! Cloud, you have to understand that the day you came into her life was the day you handed her _salvation_! With you, she saw the world! With you, she was finally able to discover who she was! I could never have answered the questions she so desperately struggled with! But you! You helped her understand! Her every dream came true in your company! I know it in my heart, Cloud, that when she died, she wasn't the Princess she had always been, but the Queen she was always destined to become! And now… my daughter is an Angel that will keep our planet safe forever! Can't you see? She's not dead, Cloud. She's not coming back, and that breaks my heart, but she's not… she's _not _dead!"

During her entire speech, Elmyra had been standing stiffly with her arms at her sides. Now, however, she covered her mouth with both hands, trying to keep herself quiet for Marlene's sake. As it was, she needn't have bothered getting herself all worked up as she had. It was _quite_ clear by the way Cloud was holding himself, stiffly, uncomfortable, and with averted eyes, that her words were having very little effect on him. He blamed himself for Aeris… It would take a whole lot more than just a foolish old woman's kind words to pull him back up and out of this devastating trench of guilt. He needed… so, _so_ much more than she could ever even _hope_ to give him… before he could begin to heal.

"When Aeris was still being cared for by her birthmother, she suffered at the hands of the ShinRa in ways that I can't even begin to imagine," Elmyra reminded the mercenary, turning towards the pink candle and its flickering flame which she had placed on the parlor's tea table. "In ways that I don't even _want_ to imagine! When I took her in, she was afraid of what it meant to be an Ancient. She denied what she was. She pretended to be what she wasn't. For so long, I _knew_ that she wasn't happy, and that in the end, nothing I ever did would ever be good enough. Not even Zack-"

Cloud visibly winced at the mention of Aeris's first love, which startled Elmyra immensely. Had the mercenary heard of him? In any case, the woman realized that her words had been poorly chosen, and so she quickly, _quickly_ got to her point. "I guess what I want to say is that it wasn't us. It wasn't any of us. It was _you_, Cloud, who helped her to truly smile again for the first time in… in far too long. You have done nothing for which you need to apologize. You have done nothing to feel so ashamed. I want you to be at peace, and I know that Aeris does as well! You deserve it."

Cloud shook his head, closing his eyes to better fight back his tears. "You're wrong, Mrs. Gainsborough. If you know all of it… Sephiroth… I couldn't fight him. I _knew _Aeris was in danger. I _knew _what he wanted to do to her… But I was weak. I should have been more… more like Alfred. Nothing stopped _him_ from reaching her in time."

"Alfred is a legendary hero, Cloud," Elmyra pointed out, staring at the candle… watching its flickering glow… "Nothing ever stops legendary heroes… because they're just legends. And we don't have the luxury of a life within a legend. No one could have prevented Aeris from returning to the planet. Don't you see that? No one!" How had it come to this? Elmyra was supposed to be Aeris's mother! Somehow it seemed… peculiar… that _she _should be the one comforting Cloud… and not the other way around.

_"It's because he needs someone to take care of him. I always _knew_ that he needed to have an older girlfriend! He used to get along just fine with skinned knees, but… not anymore." _The voice was knowing… knowing and motherly… But Elmyra didn't recognize it, and didn't know where it was coming from. She snapped around quickly in shock, scanning the parlor for some kind of sign as to what the source of it was, but found nothing. She, Cloud, and Marlene were all quite alone.

_Or were they…?_

Marlene presently moaned in the soft, gentle way that the exhausted so often did, and wearily opened her eyes, lifting her head up from Cloud's chest. She glanced around, oblivious to the attention she was quite suddenly receiving from both her guardian and from the mercenary. Her eyes then focused on the wall behind the pink candle that Elmyra herself had just been gazing at moments before. "Is the sky still falling?"

"Of course it's not, dear," Elmyra calmly assured her, though the little girl barely even turned her head to acknowledge the woman, choosing to instead remain entirely focused on the candle.

"Tifa will look after him," she said, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She still seemed to be half asleep, and Cloud, who was still holding her on his lap, furrowed his brow in confusion. What was the girl talking about? Was she even in her right mind? She almost seemed… to be insensible to her surroundings. "Aeris is very busy now… looking after all of us." Her words were so mumbled together that it was difficult to comprehend. But both Cloud and Elmyra somehow managed to, and they glanced at each other in astonishment.

The girl rested her head against the mercenary's chest again, but other than that remained relatively awake. "Cloud… Take me home tomorrow. I want to see Tifa and papa again."

The mercenary glanced from the child on his lap to Elmyra, as if seeking permission. When the woman nodded her consent, his expression seemed to soften considerably. He didn't know what, exactly, had come over him… but at some point since the start of his story, he had grown more comfortable with the tiny thing left in his care. And not only more comfortable… but also… more tranquil. He didn't understand how Barret could _bear_ to leave her here like this! So far away…

_"My hands ain't any cleaner… I shouldn't be able to carry… Marlene either!"_

Their hands were _all_ too stained… But… the thing was… that… like Aeris… Marlene seemed able to cleanse them. To wash the blood out. To purify. A part of Cloud did not want to leave Kalm without bringing the child with him. And so he answered her: "For you, Marlene, I will."

"Cloud," she said again, sighing and rubbing her face against his chest as if trying to find a more comfortable position. "Thank you for the story…"

"You're welcome," the mercenary whispered, glancing down at her with unexpected affection on his face. Elmyra smiled softly as she pictured yet another heart being won over by the girl. Of course Marlene had her adopted father's devotion, as well as Tifa's and especially Aeris's when the Cetra had still been among the living. Elmyra particularly remembered the fondness that even _Reeve _had worn on his face when watching the child, towards the end of their captivity. No one could help but love her! Not even Cloud, after everything he had gone through. He, too, was falling for the four year old. The story he had told to her that night was testament to that, and for that, Elmyra was very, very glad.

"Cloud," Marlene said again. "We're all a family, right? Miss Elmyra… me… papa… Tifa… and… and you? Right?" It was astonishing how much hope there could be resonating in the voice of one tiny little girl when she was but half asleep. Cloud couldn't _bear_ to crush them.

_"Don't… make… Don't ever make Marlene… cry…"_

_I won't._

"Yes," he told her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close as if… as if she were his niece or something… He thought about being a part of Barret's family. And… astonishingly enough… it sounded no more difficult than being a part of Tifa's. As it was, they were all tied together closely enough anyway. They had become family a long, _long_ time ago. "Yes, Marlene. We are."

"Don't ever go away," the child told him then. "I like your bedtime stories…"

"Yeah," Cloud whispered wistfully. "I've always been good at making things up." It stung… It stung so much that it brought fresh tears to his eyes, and once again his throat burned when he tried to swallow. His throat burned. His eyes burned. His fingers tingled. How was he supposed to survive this? Without Aeris…

"I love you, Cloud," the four-year old presently informed him. "Just as much as Tifa."

The mercenary blinked. His heart stopped in his throat. When was the last time…? He glanced at Elmyra in shock, and saw that the woman was now beaming. It was as if… all of a sudden… the pain that she felt just moments ago… was gone. Her eyes had tears in them… but they were mostly… _not_ tears of sorrow.

Cloud bowed his head. Who would have ever thought… that a four-year old could heal him?

**The End**

**ooooooo**


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